Beginning July 23, 1911, Reverend Caldwell was acting pastor of the Manlius Baptist Church. One of his first duties was to help gather in those converted at the Crabill Evangelistic Meetings who were interested in joining the Baptist Church. He was preaching on Sundays, visiting among the Congregation and leading the Prayer Meetings. According to Yettie Harris, Clerk, "He has been of great assistance. We hope soon to settle a permanent pastor. We do not enjoy these short pastorates, but they seem forced upon us."
On October 19, 1911, a special business meeting was called after Prayer Meeting. G. H. Tripp, a member of the Pulpit Committee, stated that the object of the meeting was to consider calling a pastor. He stated that Reverend Caldwell, who had acted as supply since July, could be engaged as pastor for $15.00 a week and a parsonage. A motion was moved and carried that the Church take a vote to ascertain whether we engage Reverend Caldwell, providing we could raise the necessary finances. The vote was 33 positive, 2 blank. (This time there was no second legal or formal vote.) It was also moved and carried that the Church canvass the members to see if money could be raised. The canvassers were to report on Thursday evening so that Reverend Caldwell could receive his answer by the next Sunday. The canvass must have been successful since on October 26, 1911, a unanimous call was extended to Reverend Caldwell. On November 1, 1911 Reverend and Mrs Caldwell and their three sons Truman, Ellsworth and Ethan were received into Church membership by letter from the Tabernacle Church in Syracuse.
On November 12, 1911, Reverend Caldwell read the following at the morning service:
"I was duly advised of you action taken on Thursday, October 26, 1911, extending to me a hearty and unanimous invitation to become your pastor at a salary of $15.00 per week and parsonage. After much careful and prayerful consideration, I hereby announce by acceptance of your call, with the sincere desire and earnest prayer that this new relationship may be mutually helpful; and that, through the blessing of God and the hearty cooperation of the people, we may have large success in advancing our Master's Kingdom both at home and abroad. If it meets with your approval, I should like to have the beginning of my pastorate reckoned from Nov. 1, 1911, the increase in salary, however, not taking effect till the present time. Trusting that I shall at all times have your perfect confidence and that I shall be constantly sustained by your love, sympathy prayers and earnest endeavors, I am faithfully yours.
Manlius, Nov. 12, 1911 T. Byron Caldwell"
Reverend T. Byron Caldwell was born in Pitcairn, New York, (near Harrisville, NY) on June 1, 1855. A graduate of Colgate University (1884) and Hamilton Theological Seminary (1887), he came to Manlius at age 56 from the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Syracuse (1907-1911. He brought with him his wife, Nellie North Caldwell, and three sons, Ethan, Truman and Ellsworth.
On February 1, 1912, Mrs. T. Byron Caldwell and Mrs. John Chappell were chosen to represent the Church on the Onondaga County Orphan Asylum Board. This was a task for women of most County Churches at this time and the Asylum or Home as it was called later was a favorite charity of the Church and Church groups through the 1940s.
On February 8, 1912, at a regular meeting of the Church, it was unanimously voted to unite with the Methodist Church in Manlius in a series of evangelical meetings to be conducted by their District Evangelist, Reverend H. D. Sheldon, beginning about the middle of March and continuing for two weeks, provided that the terms of such union meetings be agreeable to both the Methodist and Baptist Churches. The meetings were held. Yettie Harris, Clerk, in her 1912 letter to the Onondaga Baptist Association, reported "some have been baptized and some are waiting."
On Sunday, February 12, 1912, the temperature was very cold in Manlius. When the good townspeople woke up they found they had no water because, they supposed, the pipes had frozen. Attendance at Church was remarkably small that morning as many Church goers remained home to thaw out their pipes. One good Church member worked several houses with a torch and nearly melted his pipes. Then he went for a plumber. When the plumber told him that the water had been shut off at the main the night before, the churchman said things about water pipes that would not look well in print or sound well in Church. (From The Fayetteville Examiner of 2/16/1912.)
The winter weather, while vexing some, pleased others. Mrs. F. H. Broadfield hosted a sleigh ride party for her Sunday School Class and their wives at the Broadfield Farm on Friday, February 15, 1912. They enjoyed an elaborate supper and music and games. The members of the Christian Endeavor also enjoyed a sleigh ride to the home of Mr. & Mrs. Bull in Eagle Village.
In April 1912 following the Crabill and Sheldon Evangelistic Campaign, Reverend and Mrs. John H. Earle came to hold services, alternating between the Baptist and Methodist Churches, for four weeks starting on April 13, 1912. Reverend Earle was said to be a plain, forceful speaker and his wife a well trained soprano whose voice was remarkably sweet and powerful. The meetings were held every night (but Monday) and on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons as well, alternating between the churches. Large choruses sang at each meeting which were said to have been attractive, effective and most stimulating. A goodly number of the unsaved were led to the public confession of faith in Christ. The Baptists did not report on membership gained during the campaign. The Fayetteville Recorder gave excellent publicity to both the Crabell and Earle Services.
The Congregation apparently felt that their eighty-four year old church needed to be redecorated and upgraded again. At a May 24, 1912, Trustee Meeting F. E. Perry was asked to get a paper ready to present to the Ladies Aid Society at their next meeting in regard to having a new carpet or a hardwood floor, new seats or repairs to the old ones, and whether or not the church interior should be repapered. The Ladies Aid was asked because they generally earned from their projects much of the money for church improvements. The Ladies, as would be expected, recommended an all-out effort in redecorating, i.e., install a new hardwood floor, buy new oak church seats, and repaper the whole interior.
On June 13, 1912, the Church Members gathered in Prayer Meeting and voted to give the Trustees authority to make the needed repairs. The Trustees then set up a Committee to get a list of prospects ready for a solicitation of funds on July 23, 1912. The members were William Nightingale, G. B. Perry and John Chappell. Another Committee was given the task of "looking up and finding costs of repairs." Duties were:
- John Chappell - Lumber for hardwood floor
- G. H. Tripp, H E. Ransier - Cost of new Seats
- Miss Kate Ransier, Mrs Yettie Harris, Mrs. John Chappell - Decorating
On December 18, 1912, the Trustees voted that the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (William Nightingale) be instructed to borrow money not to exceed $600.00 to pay for the new seats, etc., for the church.
The church auditorium was closed for nearly four months. The location of Sunday Services during this time was not mentioned. Early in January 1913 the redecorating was completed and the Church planned five days of re-opening ceremonies to show off the new look to their members and friends and neighbors in Manlius. Starting on January 26, 1913, Sunday Morning Reverend Caldwell preached on “Delighting in God's House,” Monday Evening Service was interdenominational. All of the Protestant Churches in Manlius were invited and all of their pastors participated. Tuesday was Sunday School Night. Wednesday was a service featuring the Young People's Societies. Thursday was for homecoming and a Roll Call of past and present members. The last evening January 30, 1913, was reserved for praise, thanksgiving and prayer. (The Fayetteville Examiner reported that the changes made greatly added to the beauty, harmony and worshipful appearance of the auditorium.) The entire cost was $1281.22 with a considerable amount of the work having been done or donated by members of the Congregation. Only a small balance remained to be paid.
In 1912 a new group was established in the Church for young ladies called the Light Bearers. This was a successor to the Farthest Light Society, which was no longer mentioned. In 1920 both the Light Bearers and Farthest Light Society appear to have been replaced by the Worth While Girls group, then in 1925 by the World Wide Guild.
In 1912 the office of chief usher was mentioned for the first time. Mr. E. C. Hilts was appointed to the post with the power to choose his assistants.
On April 6, 1913, the Manlius Baptist Church sponsored a three week series of Evangelistic Meetings led by Evangelist J. W. Cooper and his wife who were said to be remarkably gifted gospel singer. It was reported in The Fayetteville Examiner that on some evenings the auditorium would not hold all the people that entered in. "Interest is deepening, the devil is waking up, people are getting mad, sin is being uncovered, the truth is striking home, while the worldly Church members are setting up a tremendous howl. The Evangelist only smiles and keeps right on giving them the word of God." There was no mention of the number of conversions made during the meetings.
In June (6/22/13) Reverend T. B. Caldwell preached the Baccalaureate Sermon to the ten members of the Manlius High School Graduating Class in the Baptist Church, which was said to have been “filled to the doors.” Reverend Caldwell spoke on “The Arithmetic of Life” and the two rules that need to be applied. Addition (add that which helps) and Subtraction (subtract that which hinders such an achievement.)
Summer came to Manlius and once again one of the major events was the Union Church Picnic, this year at Sylvan Beach. Six hundred tickets were sold for the excursion. A train of seven coaches left the West Shore Station at 8:28 on July 22, 1913, and made its way to the beach by way of Rippleton and the Lehigh Valley arriving at the beach by 11 o'clock. The excursionists were reported to have immediately sought the tables in the grove and unloaded their lunch baskets. After dinner the picnickers were said to have rushed to the water like ducks, with the Methodists and Presbyterians as much at home in the water as the Baptists. Some thought that Reverend Fry of the Methodist Church could make a bigger splash than Rev. Caldwell of the Baptist Church. It was a fine day, with no accidents and all the people returned home tired but happy.
In the fall of 1913 the Baptists were experimenting with union with the Methodists. Small Group Prayer Meetings were held in homes, followed each week by a Union Church Prayer Meeting. In early October six evangelists visited the village of Manlius. Some like Mrs. Rice, billed as "The Broadway Girl Evangelist" preached on the Manlius Street Corners. Mr. and Mrs. Ward Mosher conducted their services in the Methodist and Baptist Churches throughout the month of October.
October, 1913 was a time of sadness in the Baptist Church. Harold, the 14 year old son and only child of Mr. & Mrs. William Nightingale, died suddenly of rheumatic fever on October 8, 1913.
The Pastor of the Baptist Church Reverend T. Byron Caldwell spent some time in early December, 1913, in Zanesville, Ohio, where he had served as pastor of the Baptist Church for ten years. The Baptist Church there had been badly damaged by a serious flood, and Rev Caldwell encouraged his former friends and parishioners to give financial aid for needed repairs and additions.
A Go-to-Church Sunday in Manlius was planned for January 18, 1914. It was a combined effort on the part of the Protestant pastors and Church members to get everybody out to Church. The results were not encouraging, however. There were 60 Episcopalians, 125, Presbyterians, and 323 Baptists and Methodist (Union Service), a little over 1/3 of the total population of Manlius. The Fayetteville newspaper reported that the remaining 2/3 stayed in bed or sat by the fire and read the Sunday newspapers utterly regardless of their future fate.
On July 28, 1914, the Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian Sunday Schools joined forces for another train excursion to Sylvan Beach. It appears that most of the population of Manlius took off for a day at the beach and amusement park. Most of the stores and many of the shops closed down for the day. The cost for adults was $1.00, children $.50. Eleven coaches and a baggage car were required to hold all the passengers and their belongings. Although rain threatened 556 tickets were sold.
On August 13, 1914, the Church voted not to have Church Services for the lat two Sundays in August. The Sunday School remained open, however.
While the Baptists did not have a gym at this time, basketball was an important sport and there was a Church League in which a Baptist Team was an active participant. The Baptist men's group, call the Baptist Brotherhood gathered on Friday evening, September 3, 1914, to lay a cement walk from the chapel to the street. It was said in the announcement that at former meetings we have had lots of talk; now for a little business.
On September 16, 1914, the Church was invited to unite with our neighboring Presbyterian Church for evangelistic services from September 21 to October 11. At the Annual Meeting of the Trustees on December 16, 1914, Reverend Conrad shared his expertise on money-raising with the Trustees. He “gave a good talk on finance and different ways other Churches raise their money.” the Trustees appointed a special Committee to make a canvass of all the members of the Church and Society (to raise money for 1915.) the Chair of the Committee and Reverend Caldwell were to “get out” a letter on the subject.
On September 23 and 24, 1915, the Church was no doubt proud to host the Onondaga Baptist Association for its annual meeting in the newly redecorated church. There were 225 people present. The weather was cool and the ladies of the Methodist Church served dinner and supper. Yettie Harris, Church Clerk, wrote a Church History to be read to the association. It was also copied in the Church Minute Book. In her summary of her history Mrs. Harris wrote of some of the struggles the early church faced and how faith in God always carried them through the hard times. "Never financially strong there have been few years when the Church has been pastorless and never a time when the doors have not been open and services held and the Sunday School kept alive. Sometimes a member read a sermon. For several years the State Convention came to our aid for it has at times been difficult to pay a living salary. There have been times when the faith of the members has been severely tested but never a time when it failed. We have given generously to other churches of our numbers; death has taken efficient and loyal hearts from us, but we are hopeful for the future, believing there is need of our existence in this community, where our influence is for good." The theme of the meeting was evangelism and with special reference to the work of the most prominent evangelist of the times, Billy Sunday. Billy Sunday was about to hold meetings in the Syracuse Tabernacle in November 1915. The preparation in Manlius was to divide the village into districts, in which prayer meetings were to be held until Mr. Sunday came to Syracuse.
On October 28, 1915, Reverend T. Byron Caldwell, William H. Nightingale, Frank B. Perry and J. Allen Patrick were elected to represent the Church for the ensuing year in "The Onondaga Baptist Social and Missionary Union," another name for the Onondaga Baptist Association. On March 20, 1916, the Church began a series of evangelical meetings with the Methodist Church.
In their November 16, 1916, meeting the Trustees voted to purchase a stove to heat water for the Baptistry, and on December 13, 1916, (certainly the proper time of year to be concerned)
brought up the question of installing an inside toilet. Each Trustee was expected to have a plan of his own for the toilet for the next meeting.
Sometime in the winter of 1916-17 the Board of Deacons committed an unpardonable sin by criticizing one of Pastor Caldwell's sons. We do not know which of Pastor Caldwell's three sons was criticized or the reason for the criticism. Reverend Caldwell apparently was angered and read his resignation as Pastor to the Manlius Baptists on December 31, 1916, to be effective on the first of March 1917. The resignation came as a surprise to most people in the Congregation. A petition was prepared asking the Pastor to withdraw his resignation, and it was thought that it would be signed by a large majority of Church members. The Baptist Church and Congregation met on January 15, 1917, to take action on the resignation of Reverend Caldwell and voted 56 to 11 against acceptance. The vote was made a unanimous one. To make sure that Reverend Caldwell and all Church members and Manlius citizens got the message, the results were published in The Fayetteville Recorder as a paid advertisement. It was felt, however, by some that Reverend Caldwell had stayed in Manlius six years which was about his average tenure at most of his charges and he might have been leaving soon, anyway.
On the next Sunday morning, February 25, 1917, Reverend Caldwell again presented his resignation, made it final , and requested that the Church act promptly and favorably on his request. Another special meeting was called for March 26, 1917, and it was moved and carried that the resignation of Reverend Caldwell be accepted, now effective on the last Sunday in March. On May 3, 1917, letters of dismission were granted to Reverend and Mrs. Caldwell to unite with the Clayton Baptist Church of Clayton, New York. Ethan and Ellsworth Caldwell were given letters to unite with the First Baptist Church of Syracuse, New York. (Truman Caldwell was given a letter earlier on August 17, 1916.)
Reverend Caldwell served as pastor for 47 years in seven churches in Michigan, Ohio and New York State. New York State Churches were in Syracuse (Tabernacle Baptist Church 1910-1911, Manlius 1911-1917, Clayton 1917-1918, and Rochester 1918-1925.) The Sunday School in the Market Street Baptist Church in Zaneville, Ohio, was the second largest Baptist Sunday School in Ohio. Reverend Caldwell died in Racine, Wisconsin, on July 30, 1928, a few months after suffering a paralytic stroke while conducting services at a church in Alto Pass, Illinois, where he had been serving as a supply pastor. He was said to have been "an excellent preacher and a faithful, devoted, sacrificing minister of Jesus Christ, one who endeared himself to the people wherever he labored and one who was privileged to lead many into the `way of life'."
On Friday evening the Young People's Society of the Baptist Church gave a "largely attended" farewell social and supper for Rev. and Mrs. Caldwell at the Baptist Church. The Caldwells left for Clayton, NY, where Mr. Caldwell opened his pastorate on Sunday.
While in Manlius, Reverend Caldwell was chaplain of the Military Lodge No. 93 F.& A.M. His son Ethan was also a member. Ethan was a cornet player and led the Manlius Village Band before leaving to serve his country in World War I. (From a 8/23/56 letter to The Eagle Bulletin from Ethan Caldwell.)
E. E. Clemons, a local historian in commenting on the resignation of Rev. Caldwell stated that "the church had lost one of its most faithful and hard-working preachers, and Manlius lost a citizen who took an active part in its affairs."
